Testimonials

"A very special thanks. I don't know what I would have done without you. You were always there when I needed you. You helped to make the worst experience of my life so much easier to live with.

- Nancy F.

“Richard Spencer was there for us from the day after my accident, representing me and my wife, and there throughout the whole lawsuit until it was settled.

- Felix D.

A little over year ago I found myself in need of legal counsel. It's stressful enough when you are in an accident that stops your life as you know it.

- Marie K.

My son and I were involved in a major car accident and my son was seriously injured. I met Richard and he got my son the maximum we could get.

- Eran F.

I've used Mr. Spencer's services a couple of times now and could not be happier with the level of service, his professionalism, and the manner.

- Gabriel S.

Richard is my GO TO ATTORNEY, I know he will take care of my legalities and I trust Richard in every aspect of handling my law case.

- Sandra B.

Ticking time bomb: sleep-deprived truckers

On behalf of Spencer & Associates posted in blog on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.

A port truck driver had put in 45 hours on the clock over just three days when he ran over a woman crossing the street. Another port driver who admitted often breaking fatigue laws ran into stopped traffic at 55 miles per hour with devastating results, injuring seven and killing a teenager. Still another port truck crashed in Long Beach, injuring four people after the driver had spent 15 hours moving containers.

AAA released a report that found drivers who sleep just five or six hours in a 24-hour period are twice as likely to crash as a driver who gets seven hours or more of sleep. Depriving a driver of sleep leads to decreased accuracy of responses, slower reaction time and long lapses in attention.

Same crash rate as drunken drivers

Drivers who get only four or five hours of sleep have four times the crash rate—similar to an alcohol-impaired driver. Symptoms of drowsy driving include:

Driver has trouble keeping their eyes open

Driver drifting across lanes of traffic

Driver forgetting recent miles driven

USA Today exposé

A recent story from the USA Today Network analyzed more than 30 million electronic time stamps at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles from 2013 to 2016. The time stamps were generated each time a driver passed through one of the port gates. What they found was a rampant disregard for federal rules regarding fatigue.

Required breaks

There are some exceptions, but by law, commercial truckers are required to take a 10-hour break after 11 hours of driving. The investigation discovered that trucks serving these two ports, on average, operated without this break 470 times a day. Those trucks were involved in at least 189 crashes within 24 hours of the law-breaking overtime driving.

Drivers cite company pressure

California port truckers are often forced to drive long days against their will, the USA Today network reported in 2017. Many companies have pushed drivers into debt by requiring them to buy trucks through company-sponsored lease-to-own programs over the past decade. Drivers have found themselves trapped in jobs often paying them pennies per hour after expenses. When they complained or tried to refuse working past the legal limit, they could be fired and lose their new truck along with thousands of dollars they had paid toward the vehicle’s purchase.

Changes coming to the industry

A new federal rule to require truck operators to use electronic logging devices instead of maintaining paper logs went into effect in December of 2017. There is a two-year window for drivers to comply, however, the mandate will not apply to drivers of vehicles built before 2000. It is expected that the new electronic logs will help with more accurate recordkeeping.

When you or a loved one is involved in a truck accident, the results can be devastating. An experienced personal injury attorney can examine your unique circumstances and help determine if negligence could be a contributing factor. Your attorney can help obtain financial compensation for lost income, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses and damages.

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Verdicts & Settlements

Duenas v. State of California : Dangerous roadway accident in Inyo County: this case involved a single vehicle that rolled over in a construction zone. The case went before a jury and ultimately resolved for $10,000,000.

Rodriguez v. Mitchell : Automobile accident on Interstate 5 in Newhall: this case involved a rear-end accident on Interstate 5. The case settled for $1,436,950, which represented all the insurance coverage that was available.